Canon helps community outreach initiative inspire more pupils

A South Yorkshire community outreach initiative run by professional basketball club Sheffield Sharks is celebrating its 10th anniversary of delivering proactive sports, social and citizenship workshops to primary school children. The RESPECT scheme is supported by Canon Medical Systems UK as part of its corporate social responsibility ‘made for life’ commitment.

It currently sees more than 600 year five and six primary school children through workshops on bullying, staying safe online, fire safety and basketball skills. The academic year concluded with a celebratory basketball tournament at the English Institute of Sport Sheffield.

Over the past ten years, the RESPECT programme has grown in scale, interacting with nearly 5,000 pupils at schools in the disadvantaged areas of Barnsley, Rotherham and Sheffield.

Safeguarding officer at Arbourthorne Community Primary School Mandy Fenech said: “The Sheffield Sharks RESPECT programme has been so important to our school over many years. Delivery of the sessions is unique and our pre-teen pupils sit up and take notice – you can see their interest and engagement rise during the sessions.”

Sheffield Sharks players and RESPECT leaders are mostly from black or minority ethnic groups and have real-life stories to tell of growing up in challenging circumstances and how choosing a path of sport enabled them to gain skills and stay out of trouble.

Plans for RESPECT2, targeting secondary schools and encouraging teenagers to stay out of gangs and knife crime, is under development and due to be piloted in 2020.

Pictures: The RESPECT Programme delivers proactive sports, social and citizenship sessions to primary school children, supported by Canon Medical Systems UK.

Published on page 24 of the July 2019 issue of RAD Magazine.